Tujunga Canyon

'Not for the nervous!' should be the warning on this book about a series of alleged abductions, bedroom visitors and other unpleasant experiences occuring over a 26-year period from 1953 to 1979 to a group of gay women in the San Francisco area. On reading of one woman 'awoken' by a strange whining sound, feeling paralysed then seeing a strange figure in the room, I was irresistable reminded of the Miss Z experience described in MUFOB New Series 4.

Whilst the book is fascinating, it is somewhat chaotically organised - rather like the investigation itself until Rogo joined it. Many of the hypnotic sessions conducted by Dr William McCall contain considerable prompting, and the presence of ufologists with their own needs to obtain more and more fascinating material must have been conducive to much fantasy. One of the participants came up with a 'cancer cure' - vinegar - which was given to her by the 'space people'. This, however turned out to be the local folk-remedy.

The co-authors are unable to come to any joint conclusion and present separate summaries. Ms Druffel speculates about 'angels', while Rogo is drawn to a psychological interpretation (albeit one which might be regarded as sexist in certain circles), but feels the need to introduce a mysterious 'The Phenomenon', which abstracts people's dreams and somehow objectifies them. Some of us remember speculating along these lines about ten years ago before sacrificing such intermediaries to Occam's Razor.

I have avoided summarising the contents of the book or the sequence of abductions because they are really too complicated. Though not always easy to follow, this book should be read by all serious researchers. -- Reviewed by Peter Rogerson, from MUFOB new series 7, 1981.

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